Hello fellow Crayon Freckles readers! I'm Heather and I write over at Little Moments. I share topics on child development, activities, behavior, and everything in between. Through snapshots of our life in a household with two boys, I've been inspired to share my passion for early childhood, and how little moments can have a lasting impact on children. My boys have a bit of an age gap between them, Aidan will be five years old on Halloween, and Devin is almost seven months. Age doesn't matter though because they are brothers and I love watching their growing bond.

To be in my shoes wouldn't require any shoes at this point in my life. I live in central Florida and I go barefoot quite a bit. Otherwise you can still see my toes in a pair of one of my many flip flops when I'm not running or biking outside...I like to keep my feet protected from the occasional fire ant!

The most challenging part of being the type of mom I am are the battles I have over the many versions of myself.

I'm a stay at home mom, but I still have the urge to go back to work and do the other thing I love.

I'm a mom with a husband in the military, but I don't want my husband's career to define who I am.

I'm a little bit of a free-range mom, but I still find myself restricting certain activities. One example; I don't let Aidan go to the pond a few houses down during alligator mating season with the neighbor boys because I think one is less likely to show up during any other time of the year...I think I may be overreacting to this one a little.

I'm a breastfeeding mom, and I don't love every minute of it.

I'm a positive discipline mom, but despite how hard I work at using it I still struggle.

I'm a mom who prefers simple open-ended materials when it comes to toys and art. With all the technology being injected into toys I sometimes have a hard time letting my son have them. I hate hearing my son say, "what does it do?" if he's looking at a toy that has no buttons.

I'm a get outside and play kind of mom, but there are days when we don't because we just don't feel like it, and then we go stir crazy.

The most rewarding part of being the types of mom I am, is realizing the moment when my hard work has paid off.

Being at home allows me to see the growth and accomplishments my boys make first hand, and I also feel less stressed about spending time with them.

Being part of a military family has great community benefits and has supported me as a mother. The opportunity to see and try things we may not have had access to otherwise is wonderful.

Seeing Aidan's confidence in achieving something, and the look on his face when he realizes he can do it, is why I let him try things others may perceive as "dangerous."

Despite the few downsides for me, the bonding and health benefits of my choice to breastfeed my baby are all I need...and the extra snuggles!

I have learned a lot about myself, as well as my older son, in the process of embracing positive discipline.

I've realized a few toys that can only be used in one way will not ruin my son's imagination or critical thinking skills. He surprises me every day and has embraced things he's not as comfortable with because I've modeled that I will try and do the same.

Watching Devin stare into trees at the billowing leaves and chirping birds make me smile. Witnessing Aidan protect a lizard or frog from getting hurt or picking up litter is a reward for me. I love that he utilizes what I've been teaching him about caring for where we live, even if we don't enjoy it every day.

The most important value I feel others can instill in their children is to love learning. If you love learning you are more likely to seek answers to ideas or better understand issues and other people you are not familiar with. One of my favorite quotes explains why I feel this way...

Since we cannot know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead we should try to turn out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able to learn whatever needs to be learned. -Holt

If my children could describe me in three words I think Devin would say food, love, and fun. I don't think further explanation is needed for someone who is still a baby! I asked Aidan this question and he described me as, "nice, fair, and plays." I thought fair was an interesting word choice and I have no idea what prompted him to choose it. But if he thinks I'm fair I must be doing something right.

I am very thankful to be in my shoes, and I appreciate the time you took to walk with me.